How does your company manage a clean-shaven policy for silica protection in Mining/Tailings?
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We manage our respiratory requirements through our Code of Practice
We currently supply PAPR’s for the employees in the silica hazard areas.
We only operate in Coal mines here in Alberta so the silca dust exposure does not apply. One thing I have observed however in industry is respiratory protection on bench is rarely used.
Tailings currently has a clean-shaven policy for silica due to it was considered a higher risk area, The site performs annually air quality testing to understand the levels of silica in the air. This policy is currently under review due to minimum levels of silica present in the air in tailings, this may be relaxed in the future. The mine has never had a clean-shaven policy due results of air quality testing proving that there was no risk in the mine.
Clean shaven requirements would be dependent on the requirement to wear a respirator or a filtering facepiece (N95 Dust mask).
- All field employees receive a fit test for a respirator (1/2 mask or filtering facepiece) based on the hazard they may be exposed to. (They are clean shaven when this is done)
- Employees would be expected to be clean shaven if they are exposed to airborne contaminants over the OEL and if they are required to use respiratory protection. (This would apply to non-regulated particulate as well)
- We conduct periodic silica sampling for our sites to confirm the presence of silica or to confirm if levels exceed the OEL. Respiratory protection requirements would be further determined based on sampling and available data
Facial hair restrictions for tight fitting respiratory protection
The following guidelines apply to the use of tight-fitting respiratory equipment:
Personnel must be clean-shaven when performing tasks that require tight-fitting respiratory protective equipment, including emergency response
Personnel must be clean-shaven in the face-piece seal area and must not have facial hair that could interfere with the function of the mask (see Figure 13-3)
Head coverings, glasses, jewelry, and foreign items that may interfere with respirator fit must be removed before using a respirator (half mask or full-face)
Refer to the respiratory facial hair restrictions poster
Note: some Power Air- Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) and supplied air respirators are loose fitting and do not require fit testing. These are typically used for welding and abrasive blasting and usually tolerate a moderate amount of facial hair. Refer to the manufacturer’s requirements, the IH Standard for Respiratory Protective Equipment (described above), and the site-assigned Industrial Hygienist for more information.
2.6 Silica Dust – Tailings Area
Silica dust is known to exist within the mine tailings area through extensive testing by the Industrial Hygiene department. The purpose of this standard is to establish protocol when workers are actively engaged in groundwork in the tailings area.
Respiratory protection is required for all personnel performing ground tasks (see detail in Guidance below) in Mine Tailings.
Tailings ground workers must use respirators:
• on all ground-based work of extended duration (greater than 60 minutes per shift)
• on all manual ground disturbance work of any duration
• ensure requirement to wear respirators have been reviewed when doing the LMRA
• exemptions apply during periods where: snow or ice uniformly covers surfaces
• rain has saturated the ground and maintains a wet surface for the entire shift
Work not requiring the use of respirators:
All equipment operations in enclosed cabs and incidental ground-based operations associated with equipment, e.g., fueling, inspections, movement between vehicles etc. all incidental inspection works of low duration e.g., field work discussions, JSA reviews, Target Learning Observation (TLO) discussions, field checks, BDDS (Bird Detection Deterrent System) inspections, Line Patrol, etc
Yes, clean shaven is a must for respiratory protection unless they are PAPRs
Clean shaven for all who have over 4 hrs per day exposure time.